Scottish Executive

Civil Servants

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the advertisement for an agri-environment officer funded in part by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, whether it will identify all posts in its establishment which are part-funded by non-Executive bodies and whether it will publish its guidelines for the creation and filling of posts which are jointly funded with lobbying groups, pressure groups and other external bodies.

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what examples there are of posts where the postholder works jointly for it, voluntary organisations and/or non-departmental public bodies or is jointly funded by them, as distinct from positions in voluntary organisations, part of whose funding comes from the Executive or non-departmental public bodies.

Peter Peacock: Currently there are three posts in the Scottish Executive where a contribution towards funding is made by other bodies. These are:

  


Post


Contribution From




Senior Policy Officer, Community Planning Taskforce


Strathclyde Police




Team Head, 21st Century Government Unit


Audit Scotland




Review Team Member, Environment Protection Unit


SEPA




  The Civil Service Management Code governs all appointments to the civil service. The code is publicly available.

  All individuals working within the civil service operate within the framework of conduct, propriety and impartiality provided by the Civil Service Management Code and the Civil Service Code.

Civil Servants

Irene Oldfather (Cunninghame South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made on the dispersal of civil service jobs.

Peter Peacock: We have made good progress. Around 650 posts have been located or are currently planned to be located outwith Edinburgh as a direct result of this policy. Including the new reviews announced in November last year, around 3,000 further posts will be covered by formal relocation reviews.

  The Education and Lifelong Learning Department is now wholly located in Glasgow; the Foods Standards Agency Scotland has been set up in Aberdeen and the Public Guardian's Office has been set up in Falkirk. The offices of the Scottish Social Services Council and the National Office of the Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care have been set up in Dundee. The commission's regional office for the area will also be located in the Dundee HQ, with a further five regional offices located in Aberdeen, Musselburgh, Paisley, Hamilton and Inverness. The Scottish Public Pensions Agency will be located in Galashiels, and Scottish Water will set up its HQ in Dunfermline.

  Decisions are expected on the location of the Health Education Board for Scotland, sportscotland, the Common Services Agency of the National Health Service in Scotland, and Scottish Natural Heritage in the course of this year. Decisions are expected on the location of the Scottish Arts Council by the end of 2002, Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education by mid 2003 and on Registers of Scotland in 2004.

Common Services Agency

Irene Oldfather (Cunninghame South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the proposed timetable for relocating the Common Services Agency is still on target.

Peter Peacock: The Common Services Agency was asked to undertake a review of property options in Edinburgh and around Scotland. Ministers expect to consider these options shortly.

Culture

Mr Lloyd Quinan (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what precise role the Music Industry Forum will play in its future strategies.

Mike Watson: I was pleased to meet last month with representatives of Scotland's music industry. Representation at that exploratory meeting covered a wide cross-section of interests. The meeting heard strong support for the convening of a forum, which I shall chair, whereby key representatives from across the sector can explore issues affecting the industry and its response to the National Cultural Strategy within the framework of the Scottish Arts Council's Music Strategy, and contribute to future policy development.

  One of the first tasks will be to determine the core membership of the forum. Those invited to the exploratory meeting, including representative bodies, are being asked to comment on this; I shall write to the member again when it is established. The forum will meet at about six-monthly intervals and will have an advisory role in the implementation of the National Cultural Strategy. No final minutes will be published, but notes of meetings will be available to members; the policy regarding its minutes will be a matter for the members.

Digital Technology

Irene Oldfather (Cunninghame South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what assistance it has given to broadband development.

Irene Oldfather (Cunninghame South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has identified target timescales for broadband development in partnership with Scottish Enterprise and whether any such timescales are being met.

Mike Watson: The Scottish Executive set out its broadband strategy last year in the document, Connecting Scotland: Our Broadband Future . Our vision behind the strategy was to make broadband connections more affordable and pervasive across the country. We are pursuing this in three ways:

  Firstly, the Executive has developed the Pathfinder Initiatives to aggregate public sector demand for broadband in the Highlands and Islands and South of Scotland. It is hoped that this major investment on the part of the public sector will help to stimulate both demand for and supply of broadband within these areas which might not be immediately covered by the commercial market. Secondly, the strategy undertook to identify where there was a need for direct support measures; our programme under the UK Broadband Fund is developing this element through awareness raising measures and technology trials. Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise will be managing the projects under the Broadband Fund over 2002-03 and 2003-04. The last element of the strategy is on-going regulatory liaison at UK level and we continue to work closely on this with our counterparts at UK level.

  Scottish Enterprise is spending £6 million on the first phase of its ATLAS project. The project will set up a Telecoms Trading Exchange and aims to substantially cut high bandwidth telecoms costs for Scottish businesses and encourage the use of broadband services. The first phase of ATLAS is planned to be operational by the end of this year.

  In addition, the Highlands and Islands Partnership Programme (HIPP) also has funding to stimulate demand and to enhance infrastructure in remoter areas.

Digital Technology

Irene Oldfather (Cunninghame South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what analysis it has undertaken of the benefits of broadband for business.

Mike Watson: The benefits to businesses of broadband connectivity are well established. Broadband gives fast access to global markets, enhances the efficiency of existing structures and supply chains while providing a means of enhancing customer service through effective online trading. In short, broadband has the capacity to enhance the competitiveness of businesses.

  The UK Government and other organisations have conducted studies which support these benefits. For example, the Federation of Small Businesses 2001 survey, "Small Businesses in an Electronic Age II" indicated that more than three-quarters of businesses surveyed and using broadband had enjoyed improved productivity as a result of broadband connectivity. The survey also showed that more than half of businesses with broadband had experienced reductions in their business cost base.

Foot-and-Mouth Disease

Iain Smith (North-East Fife) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive when the report of the inquiry into the lessons to be learned from the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak of 2001 will be published.

Ross Finnie: This report has been published today and copies have been made available to the Convener and members of the Rural Development Committee. A copy has been placed in the Parliament's Reference Centre, (Bib. number 22295) and the report can be viewed on the website of the inquiry.

Health

Nicola Sturgeon (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients did not attend their allocated hospital out-patient appointments in the past year and what the financial cost was of such non-attendance

Malcolm Chisholm: Provisional data from ISD Scotland shows that during the year ending 31 December 2001 the number of patients who did not attend their first out-patient appointment was 160,112. A service-led group has recently been set up to work with the service to identify and share good practice and to develop a target for all NHS trusts to demonstrate year on year improvement in the number of did not attends. The group will report in the autumn.

  Information on the cost of NHS of patients failing to keep appointments is not available centrally. Many out-patient clinics schedule additional appointments to compensate for non-attendance. Information on the average cost of a consultant out-patient attendance is available on the Information and Statistics Division website at:

  http://www.show.scot.nhs.uk/isd/Scottish_Health_Statistics/subject/Costs/2001/index.htm.

Individual Learning Accounts

Andrew Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any companies who have provided training under the Individual Learning Account scheme are still awaiting payment and, if so, how many companies, what total amount is still to be paid and when these final payments will be made.

Mike Watson: Claims to the total value of £3,834,575, from 121 learning providers, have not yet been paid. Until each claim has been validated it is not possible to say how much of that total will be paid, or when it will be paid.

Individual Learning Accounts

Andrew Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it last made direct contact with the Individual Learning Account centre in Durham.

Mike Watson: The Individual Learning Account Centre is located in Darlington, Co. Durham and officials are in contact with it on a daily basis.

Individual Learning Accounts

Andrew Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether spending on the Individual Learning Account programme ever exceeded its allocated budget in 2000-01 and, if so, by how much.

Mike Watson: Spending on the Individual Learning Account programme did not exceed its allocated budget in 2000-01.

Individual Learning Accounts

Andrew Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost so far has been of the investigation into fraudulent activity in connection with the Individual Learning Account scheme; how many cases have been checked, and how much money has so far been identified as having been received fraudulently.

Mike Watson: Over 800 learning providers have been included in the exercise to validate claims submitted for payment. Until investigations are concluded into suspected fraudulent activity, the cost of the investigations and the amount of monies involved cannot be established.

NHS Waiting Lists

Mr Tom McCabe (Hamilton South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, with regard to Audit Scotland's Review of the management of waiting lists in Scotland, what steps it is taking to reduce any possibility of perverse incentives in national targets.

Malcolm Chisholm: We have accepted all the recommendations in Audit Scotland's report on its review of the management of NHS waiting lists in Scotland. ISD Scotland are currently reviewing national definitions to reflect changes in medical practice and to eliminate any perverse incentives. The outcome of the review will be completed by the end of September.

NHS Waiting Lists

Mr Tom McCabe (Hamilton South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, with regard to Audit Scotland's Review of the management of waiting lists in Scotland, whether it has any plans to issue guidance to NHS boards on referral protocols for low clinical priority cases.

Malcolm Chisholm: We have accepted all the recommendations in Audit Scotland's report on the review of the management of NHS waiting lists in Scotland. Referral protocols are an important tool particularly when assessing the need for treatment of so called "low" clinical priority patients. The department constantly monitors the way in which NHS management, working with their clinicians, the Medical Royal Colleges and other professional bodies reviews and provides guidance on these matters.

Prison Service

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what specific evidence is there for any "innovative approach to Prison management" from the performance of HM Prison Kilmarnock in any area other than cost, as referred to in Schedule D: Part 1 of the Minute of Agreement between the Secretary of State for Scotland and Kilmarnock Prison Services Limited for the Design, Construction, Management and Financing of a Prison at Kilmarnock .

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:

  In HM Chief Inspector of Prisons' last formal report he included 12 items of best practice at HM Prison Kilmarnock. The company operates a 50 category performance monitoring system superior to that elsewhere in SPS. They provide higher quality management information on the main outputs than we have for any of our other prisons.

  SPS Operating Standards are a key driver for improving performance. Nowhere in comparable establishments are prisoners out of their cells for as long as they are at Kilmarnock during which they are challenged on their offending behaviour and the need to work. In this respect Kilmarnock is in the forefront of correctional excellence which we intend to roll out through the service over the next few years. The flexibility and speed of response to changing requirements is generally faster than elsewhere in SPS.

Prison Service

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether a clause preventing members of the senior management of the Scottish Prison Service involved in monitoring the performance of private prisons, or in ensuring contract compliance of private prison operators, from taking work from a private prison operator for a specified period following the termination of their employment with the Scottish Prison Service is contained within their employment contracts and, if so, what the length of any such period is.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  The Civil Service Business Appointment Rules provide for this, therefore no specific clause within such staff's contracts is deemed necessary. The period for which an individual must seek approval before taking any form of full, part-time or fee-paid employment with such an organisation is two years.

Prison Service

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will place in the employment contracts of persons in the senior management of the Scottish Prison Service involved in monitoring the performance of private prisons, or in ensuring contract compliance of private prison operators, a clause preventing them from taking work from a private prison operator for a specified period following the termination of their employment with the Scottish Prison Service and, if so, what the length of any such period would be.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  The Scottish Prison Service has no plans, at this time, to place such a clause in staff's Terms and Conditions of employment, as the current Civil Service Business Appointment Rules already cover this issue.

Prison Service

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the recent interim report by the Chief Inspector of Prisons on HM Prison Kilmarnock, whether it will now publish full details of the number and categories of staff employed at that prison.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  No. This is a matter for Kilmarnock Prison Services Limited.

Prison Service

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-25065 by Mr Jim Wallace on 29 April 2002, how many offers were received for the buildings of HM Prison Penninghame before 3 May 2000.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  Two.

Prison Service

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-25065 by Mr Jim Wallace on 29 April 2002, what closing date or dates for offers were intimated to those who expressed interest in purchasing the buildings of HM Prison Penninghame after 3 May 2000.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  11 August 2000.

Prison Service

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much it has paid in non-domestic rates for each prison in each of the last four years and how much it will pay in 2002-03.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  The information requested is provided in the following table.

  Information regarding non-domestic rates dates back to April 2000 when this rating system was introduced. Payments previous to this are based on "Contributions in Lieu of Rates" (CILOR).

  


Establishment


CILOR
1998-99
(£)


CILOR
1999-2000
(£)


Non Domestic Rates
2000-01
(£)


Non Domestic Rates
2001-02
(£)


Anticipated Non Domestic Rates 2002-03
(£)




Aberdeen


59,587.31


61,125.00


66,442.88


81,669.41


96,800.27




Barlinnie


265,348.07


281,175.00


305,637.23


383,775.76


461,765.07




Castle Huntly


25,228.80


48,900.00


53,154.30


56,183.01


58,806.28




Cornton Vale


8,845.78


97,800.00


106,308.60


110,019.22


112,834.63




Dumfries


61,536.86


82,641.00


89,310.00


91,650.00


93,210.00




Dungavel


75,712.60


70,918.66


31,986.04


5,458.28


-




Edinburgh


305,751.30


331,248.60


360,067.23


388,724.77


414,928.40




Friarton


5,199.55


13,447.50


16,094.01


23,881.28


26,389.27




Glenochil


245,118.67


321,762.00


328,630.68


343,100.00


348,940.00




Greenock


64,695.29


97,800.00


100,760.00


103,400.00


105,160.00




Inverness


31,845.53


39,609.00


43,054.98


48,875.90


54,489.42




Kilmarnock


-


215,160.00


206,533.60


207,155.67


205,780.95




Longriggend


32,708.72


62,227.21


31,626.08


35,494.33


36,971.70




Low Moss


28,626.84


36,273.30


52,917.99


60,694.65


68,238.77




Noranside


55,019.78


62,103.00


59,654.88


60,515.37


60,867.25




Penninghame


7,156.29


12,249.45


2,587.70


-


-




Perth


130,181.27


163,815.00


217,784.91


254,888.42


296,621.53




Peterhead


90,419.96


110,025.00


119,597.18


147,826.32


175,912.74




Polmont


216,730.12


289,488.00


295,416.27


305,500.00


357,500.00




Shotts


79,405.98


237,165.00


257,798.35


325,583.95


393,311.14"

Prison Service

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it plans to announce the appointment of a new Chief Inspector of Prisons.

Mr Jim Wallace: Her Majesty has been pleased to appoint Very Rev Dr Andrew McLellan as HM Chief Inspector of Prisons, in succession to Mr Clive Fairweather.

Sport

Andrew Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what financial support it will provide to North Lanarkshire Council to replace any sports or recreational facilities lost as a result of any redevelopment at Croy Station.

Dr Elaine Murray: Any application received by  sportscotland from North Lanarkshire Council for financial assistance to replace any sports or recreational facilities lost as a result of any redevelopment at Croy Station will be considered in line with the criteria for the relevant funding programme.

Student Finance

Andrew Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the level of funding under the Young Student Bursary Scheme is lower for Scottish-domiciled students studying outwith Scotland than for those studying in Scotland and, if so, by how much and why there is any such difference.

Mike Watson: The overall level of assistance with living costs available to Scottish domiciled students is the same whether they study in Scotland or elsewhere in the UK.

  Under the student support arrangements introduced in 2001-02, young Scottish domiciled students from low income backgrounds studying in Scotland can receive up to £2,050 of their student loan entitlement in the form of a bursary and additional loan support of up to £510. Students eligible to receive support under the new arrangements may also be liable to pay the new Graduate Endowment when they complete their studies. Income from the endowment is intended to help provide similar support for future generations of students.

  Because students who are not studying at a Scottish institution would not be liable to pay the Graduate Endowment, it was decided that they should not be entitled to the other elements of the new support package, including the Young Students' Bursary. It was, however, subsequently decided that such students should be entitled to the same level of spending power as their counterparts in Scotland. They will, therefore, from 2002-03 onwards, be entitled to bursaries of up to £510 in addition to their student loan entitlement.